Washing process and compositions therefor



United States Patent 3,523,087 WASHING PROCESS AND COMPOSITIONS THEREFOR Walter R. Trent, Menlo Park, N.J., assignor to Staph Phree Products Limited, Paterson, N.J., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Filed Apr. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 543,523 Int. Cl. Clld 3/48 US. Cl. 252-106 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method for cleansing sheepskins employed for medical purposes which comprises washing said sheepskins with an aqueous medium at elevated temperatures, which aqueous medium has incorporated therein a detergent composition comprising a combination of:

(a) a germicidal mixture of dihaloand trihalosalicylanilides;

(b) oxyethylated alcohols; and

(c) a suitable filler;

said detergent composition being incorporated in said aqueous medium in an amount sufficient to impart thereto a pH of about 7, and compositions useful for such purposes.

This invention relates to a process for cleaning sheepskins and to washing compositions for use therein. More particularly, the invention pertains to sheepskins which are in use as sheets in hospitals. The invention further pertains to washed sheepskins which contain a germicidal agent after the washing.

The prevention of decubitus ulcers is a major problem in the treatment of bedridden patients, e.g., orthopedic cases, particularly in the aged and debilitated. Decubitus ulcers are also acquired very easily by bedridden paralytics and the very thin. The prevention of decubitus ulcers has been approached by the use of sheepskins under aged and other patients who are susceptible to this condition. The sheepskin is a simple, prepared, wool skin from a sheep. The wool has been shorn partially, so that it is only about one inch thick where it remains attached to the hide. That is, it is a partially cropped sheepskin instead of a long wooley one such as the type that may be used as a lining in coats.

In using the sheepskin the patient is preferably placed directly on the sheepskin with his skin on the hairy side. There is no cloth, such as a cotton sheet or nightdress, between the patient and the sheepskin. Nor is any dressing applied even though the patient may have an incipient excoriation or decubitus ulcer. Any part of the patients body that makes contact should be on the sheepskin. Usually, the most important place to have the sheepskin is under patients sacrum and buttocks, but the entire back and shoulders should preferably also be on the sheepskin. It is generally desirable to place sheepskins under any other part of the body where there is a chance of formation of a decubitus ulcer.

The exact theoretical reasons for the effectiveness of the sheepskin are rather unclear. It would appear that each short, heavy wool hair acts as a tiny recoil spring, and when they are grouped together in many thousands "ice they have an excellent springy effect. Wool is notable for carrying moisture away from a damp area and thereby facilitating the evaporation of the water. The sheepskin thereby produces a cooling effect and reduces irritation because the perspiration is absorbed by the wool. Furthermore, the coil spring effect of the sheepskin tends to support the patient, thereby allowing a certain amount of air circulation underneath the reclining patient. This air circulation facilitates the evaporation of moisture which produces an additional cooling effect as well as also reducing irritation. In addition the firm fur fibers massage the contacting body portion and thereby help local circulation. Since the skin portion of the sheepskin is quite heavy, any wrinkling which may cause irritation is avoided. All these desirable qualities make for a fine surface on which to place patients.

The use of sheepskins under patients, whether in the hospital or the home, requires that these skins be periodically cleaned to maintain proper hygienic conditions. The usual hospital method of autoclaving with steam at high temperatures is not suitable for sterilizing sheepskins. The heat not only adversely affects the softness of the wool fibers but hastens the hardening of the leather side of the skin. If dry cleaning is used, the skins are ruined after a few cleanings.

The usual means of washing woolens with aqueous solutions of soaps or detergents are also unsatisfactory. The high alkalinity of soap solutions and the defatting properties of both sulfonate and sulfate-type detergents result in the removal of lanolin and other natural oils from the sheepskin thereby reducing its softness. After a few washings the skins become hard and unsuitable for further use. In addition, the methods currently in use for cleaning the sheepskins do not provide any means of sanitizing the skins.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved process for washing sheepskins which after repeated washings retain their softness and other suitable properties which make them useful for patients in preventing decubitus ulcers and in providing comfort and aiding natural healing to persons having this and other types of body eruptions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a washing composition for use in said washing process.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a washing composition which contains a germicidal agent.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a washing composition containing a germicide which adheres to the sheepskin after washing in an amount sufficient to serve as a residual sanitizing agent.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the ensuing description and illustrative embodiments of the invention.

In accordance with this invention, a process has been discovered for cleaning sheepskins which comprises washing the sheepskins at a temperature from about to 110 F., preferably from about 90 to F., with an aqueous washing composition comprising a non-ionic detergent such as oxyethylated alcohols. Although oxyethylated alcohols are not as strong washing agents as soaps or anionic detergents, it has been found that they are excellent washing agents for sheepskins, leaving the wool in a soft condition and permitting the skins to be laundered innumerable times and yet retain their soft, supple condition. Preferred oxyethylated alcohols are straight chain, primary aliphatic oxyethylated alcohols having a chain length of from 10 to 18 carbons, and preferably a chain length of 12 to 14 carbons and 6 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide. Solid agents such as Plurafac A-38 are especially preferred, because of their case of incorporation into a blend of dry components, and because of their relatively low wetting and detergency properties which result in incomplete removal of natural oils and lanolin from the sheepskins. The incomplete removal of these natural oils maintains the wool in a soft condition and maintains the skin in a soft pliable state.

Liquid or paste forms of polyoxyethylated alcohols which have the aforementioned properties are equally effective as the solid form of sheepskin washing. However, their use limits the quantity which may be incorporated into a powdered form of cleaning composition to maintain the powdery free flowing properties which are desirable for commercial products. The solid as well as the liquid or paste forms of polyoxyethyl-ated alcohols are suitable for manufacturing sheepskin washing com positions which are in liquid, emulsion or paste form. It is immaterial whether the sheepskin washing composition has high foaming, medium foaming or non-foaming properties.

The washing composition contains from about 1 to 90%, preferably from about 3 to 30%, by weight of the oxyethylated alcohol. About 3 ounces of the composition, containing about 10% ethoxylated alcohols, are added to 10 gallons of water for effective washing. In addition, the composition may contain other detergents, both anionic, amphoteric, cationic and non-ionic, germicidal agents, water softeners, perfuming agents, brightening agents, fabric softeners, rust inhibitors, fillers, and soil suspending agents.

The detergents may be either anionic or cationic. Suitable anionic detergents are the alkyl sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate, the aikyl aryl sulfonates such as sodium polypropylene benzene or toluene sulfonates or the corresponding linear alkyl sulfonates, and polyoxyethylated alcohols, sulfated ethoxylated phenols such as the sodium or ammonium salt of sulfated ethoxylated nonyl or other alkyl phenols, or the similar salts of sulfated oxyethylated alcohols. Other anionic detergents are the salts of the fatty acid esters of isethionic acid and the fatty methyl taurates, salts of alkyl diaryl ether disulfonates, and the phosphated alkyl and aryl oxyethylated hydroxy compounds. Amphoteric detergents may be used and include the alkyl ethyl cyclomidium l-hydroxy, 3-ethyl sodium alcoholate, Z-methyl sodium carboxyl-ate or sulfonate type, or the salts of alkyl beta amino carboxylates. Useful cationic detergents are alkyl benzyl ammonium chlorides and quaternary organic saccharinate complexes.

Satisfactory non-ionic detergents include the polyalkylene glycol ethers, the alkylphenoxypoly (ethylene-oxy) ethanols, and the ethoxylated fatty alcohols.

The additional anionic and non-ionic detergents are incorporated in an amount of about 1 to 10%, preferably 1 to by weight of the composition. The small amount of such added detergent serves to enhance the cleansing power of the washing composition without producing on repeated washings undesirable properties such as, for example, hardness of the sheepskin.

It has also been found of particular value to add to the washing composition one or more germicidal agents which serve to destroy during the washing operation the microorganisms present on the sheepskin. Preferably the germicidal agent employed has a broad antibacterial spectrum and shows good adhering properties to the skin, remaining thereon as a germicidal agent after washing. This residual antimicrobial effect serves to reduce considerably any danger of infection in excoriated tissues.

The preferred germicidal agent of this invention is a mixture of dihaloand trihalosalicylanilides wherein the halo substituents are selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine. In general, the admixture consists of from about 50 to 99%, preferably about 75 to 98%, by weight of 3,5,4'-trihalosalicylanilide and from 1 to 50%, preferably about 2 to 25% by weight of 5,4- or 5,3-dihalosalicylanilide or mixtures thereof. Especially preferred is the brominated derivatives sold under the trademark Diaphene which is an off-white powder with a spicy taste and a mild antiseptic odor. This synergistic mixture consists of about 20% by weight of 5,4'-dibromosalicylanilide and about by weight of 3,5,4- tribromosalicylanilide. The germicidal effectiveness of Diaphene as well as the other halosalicylanilides as well as their non-irritating effect on human skin have been reported. Another halosalicylanilide which may be used is Temasept II which is composed of approximately 5% of the dibromo and of the tribromo compounds. It has good substantive properties, that is, it sticks to the skin, and will produce bacteriostatic finishes on laundered fabrics. Large zones of inhibition are produced on various fabrics which have been washed with soap solutions containing 0.16% Diaphene and then incubated on nutrient agar seeded with Staph. aureus. Wool fibers clipped from sheepskins cleaned with a washing composition containing 1% by weight of Diaphene completely inhibited the Staph. aureus in culture tubes, while bacterial colonies too numerous to count formed in culture tubes which were similarly treated with wool fibers clipped from sheepskins cleaned with a washing composition which did not contain any Diaphene.

In the washing compositions containing Diaphene it is present in an amount from 0.1 to 5 preferably 0.3 to 3%, by weight of the washing composition.

In addition to Diaphene it is desirable to add to the washing composition another germicidal agant to increase the breadth of the anti-microbial spectrum. Preferably a quaternary germicidal agent such as benzethionium chloride is used along with the Diaphene in about 0.1 to 4% by weight of the composition. Other useful germicidal agents are halogenated phenols such as hexachlorophene, halogenated carbanilides, benzoic acid derivatives, halogenated salicylanilides other than Diaphene, aldehyde, particularly formaldehyde, releasing compounds and iodine containing compounds.

Other ingredients in the washing composition may be conventional optical brighteners, water softeners, rust inhibitors, fabric softeners, soil suspending agents, and perfuming agents.

The remainder of the washing composition contains a filler or builder. Suitable compounds include sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium borate, and sodium phosphate. Of particular value in helping adjust the pH of the final composition are those fillers which are not neutral such as sodium dihydrogen phosphate (acidic) and sodium borate (basic). Preferably, the washing composition is prepared so as to have a pH of about 7 or slightly less than 7.

The invention will be more fully understood by refer ence to the following illustrative examples of suitable detergent or washing compositions and their use in cleaning sheepskin. All percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated.

EXAMPLE I Finely divided, solid washing compositions were prepared by admixing the ingredients set forth below in conventional mixing equipment such as a Paterson mixer. The resultant detergent mixtures had an average particle size of from about 30 to mesh.

TAB LE SodiumMetasilicate II .IIIILQIIIIIIIIIIII.. .:IIIIIIIIIIII s Carboxy Methyl Cellulose l l 1 Corp.

1 Sodium Linear Alkyl Sultanate.

Compositions, percent by weight G H I J 1 A 100% active straight chain primary aliphatic oxyethylated alcohol in flaked solid form sold by the Wyaudotte Chemicals 3 Miranol CM CONO. (Coconut ethyl eyeloimidium,1-hydroxy-3-ethyl sodium alcoholate, Z-methyl sodium earboxylate.)

l N onylphenyl decaoxyethylene.

EXAMPLE II Each other of the above detergent compositions were employed to wash sheepskin for 12 times. The washings were carried out at 110 F. in a top loading household washing machine.

Compositions I through M proved ineffective since the sheepskin hardened after 8 washings and could no longer be employed for the prevention of decubitus ulcers as described above. Also the wool on the sheepskin lost its natural softness.

Compositions A through I which contained the oxyethylated alcohol, Plurafae A-38, avoided the hardening problem and the sheepskin could be effectively used after every washing without any special treatment. The preferred washing compositions were found to be compositions A through D which contained the Diaphene alone or with the quaternary germicide, alkyl benzyl ammonium chloride, as well as the oxyethylated alcohol. The latter compositions, in addition to avoiding the aforementioned difiiculties attendant upon the use of conventional detergent compositions for washing the sheepskins, had the advantages of incorporating a residual amount of the germicide or germicides in the fleece which serve to provide further protection against the occurrence of bed sores in bedridden patients.

In preparing the detergent compositions of the present invention, it is important to note that the Plurafacs and Diaphene are compatible with any of the detergent, both anionic and non-ionic, germicidal agents and fillers. The cationic detergents and quaternary germicides, on the other hand, are not compatible with the anionic detergents. The cationic detergents and quaternary germicidal agents are not stable at high pHs, so the pH of a washing composition containing any of these ingredients should be at about 7 or slightly below 7.

The washing compositions may be prepared in the form of powders, cakes and aqueous suspensions or emulsions. For example, Formulas A through D are in powder form which could be incorporated with a binding agent and formed into cakes. By replacing a major percentage of the sodium sulfate and utilizing a thickening and a suspending ingredient would result in the formation of a suspension.

While particular embodiments of the invention are shown above, it will be understood that the invention is obviously subject to variations and modifications without departing from its broader aspects.

What is claimed is:

1. A process for cleaning sheepskins used as sheets for bedridden patients which comprises washing the used sheepskins in an aqueous solution at an elevated temperature, which aqueous solution has incorporated therein a detergent composition consisting essentially of:

(a) from 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of a germicidal agent, which germicidal agent is comprised of a mixture of from 50 to 99% by weight of 3,5,4"-trihalosalicylanilide and from 1 to 50% by weight of a dihalosalicylanilide selected from the group consisting of 5,4-dihalosalicylanilide and 5,3-dihalosalicylanide;

(b) from 3 to 30% by weight of a primary aliphatic oxyethylated alcohol having a chain of from 10m 18 carbon atoms and containing from 6 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide; and

(c) a filler selected from the group consisting of sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium borate and sodium phosphate;

said detergent composition being incorporated in said aqueous solution in sufficient amount to impart a pH of about 7.0 thereto.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said halosalicylanilides are bromosalicylanilides.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said inert filler is sodium sulfate.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said detergent composition also contains from 0.1 to 4.0% by weight of the quaternary germicide, benzethonium chloride.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,033,889 5/1962 Chiddix et al. 3,152,039 10/1964 Mattson. 3,280,137 10/1966 Wakemann et al. 260-301 FOREIGN PATENTS 848,306 9/1960 Great Britain.

HERBERT B. GUYNN, Primary Examiner P. E. WILLIS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

